Govt. closes Walamo Community Radio Station in Mpulungu

Government has with immediate effect closed Walamo Community Radio in Mpulungu district for broadcasting without a full broadcasting license.

Deputy Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Mwansa Kapeya ordered the closure of the alleged illegal broadcasts after he visited the station.

Mr. Kapeya was accompanied by Mpulungu Member of Parliament Freedom Sikazwe who is also Lusaka Province Minister.

Others in the entourage of the Mr. Kapeya were District Commissioners for Mpulungu and Mbala, Council Officials and Ministry of Information staff.

Mr. Kapeya noted that the station only has a construction permit and not a full broadcasting license.

The station has also been transmitting on 89.1 Fm MHZ without the authorisation by the Zambia Information Communication and Technology Authority (ZICTA) who are the frequency spectrum managers in the country.

And speaking at the same occasion, Mr. Sikazwe explained that the board and management of the radio station misled him by making him to believe that they had acquired a full broadcasting license.

The station has since been advised to stop all broadcasts until they exhaust all the licensing procedures.

Radio Walamo joins other radio stations such as UNZA radio, Radio Licheke of Mporokoso, Radio Delight of Chinsali and Mpika Radio which have either cautioned or closed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services for breaching licensing procedures.

Mr. Kapeya is on a familiarization tour of media houses in Luapula and Northern Provinces to acquaint himself with the operations of the media and to monitor adherence to broadcasting rules and regulations.